However, the car owner’s family maintains the phrase “LOLOCT7” was misunderstood.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued an apology for a license plate deemed offensive, appearing to mock the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel.
News reports highlighted the personalized plate, “LOLOCT7,” displayed on a Tesla Cybertruck, which sparked significant online backlash. “LOL” is an abbreviation for “laughing out loud.”
The plate, spotted in Culver City, near Los Angeles, gained attention after StopAntisemitism shared a photo on X.
The activist group denounced the plate as a reference to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals and the taking of 250 hostages. This event triggered a major military conflict between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza.
StopAntisemitism declared the plate a celebration of what it termed “terrorism against the Jewish people,” urging the DMV to revoke it as a “vile mockery of the 1,200 innocent lives lost.”
The DMV responded swiftly, promising to “take immediate action to recall these shocking plates” and to strengthen its review process to prevent similar incidents.
The car owner’s son subsequently clarified to a local ABC affiliate that the plate was misinterpreted and unrelated to the attack. He explained that “lolo” in Tagalog means grandfather, “CT” represents Cybertruck, and “7” signifies the owner’s seven grandchildren.
“We empathize deeply with anyone who has experienced hatred,” he stated. “We hope those seeing or hearing this will show our family empathy, as we had no malicious intent.”
He added that the family explained the meaning during the DMV application. The plate has since been revoked.